Monthly Archives: October 2012

I’ve often made the suggestion that the excellent facility at 4869 N. Broadway, belonging to Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, should be kept open from 9AM until 4PM every day year-round as the homeless people’s day center here in Boulder, CO. As a practical matter, it will never happen because of competing egos between the powers-that-be at Bridge House and those at BSH. Something must be done to get the worst-behaved homeless people away from Boulder Creek Path, Pearl Street Mall, and University Hill — and right now the day center at 1120 1/2 Pine is a magnet for bums from Denver and elsewhere. Perhaps a suitable location for the enablers to coddle their unwashed clientele might be found in east Boulder. The first step will be to replace the current board of directors at BH, who are clearly committed to the failed model of a day center in or near downtown. Leverage can be applied by all of the generous donors who realize the need for a change in direction, simply by withholding any further donations and making it clear that withdrawing support is because of failed leadership by the board.

It also bears repeating that the time is long overdue for Boulder, CO to prioritize homeless shelter/services for our own who are in need — transients from Denver and elsewhere to the end of the line for what resources are left over, if any. The $5 bus fare on RTD back to Denver is a suitably compassionate way to help them, and providing that would result in a big cost savings overall, as well as improving the quality of life for all Boulderites. I haven’t gone to the Main Library at 1001 Arapahoe (except on an errand to repay a friend) in ages, because I can’t stand the stinking bums who feel entitled to behave in ways unacceptable to those of us who were raised by human parents; I never have gone to Pearl Street Mall, which is more or less a carnival-style Freak Show; I likewise avoid University Hill, where bums have been known to set each other aflame in petty disputes over trivial matters. The lowest common denominator of scurvy transients seems to rule the hearts and minds of those running our local homeless shelter/services industry, to everyone’s detriment except for those who draw a paycheck for promoting this clusterf***.

These bums are pathetic! They’re not being taught any necessary Life Skills to cope in society, or even to survive outdoors as the Homeless Philosopher has done for years. Nothing is required of them. Instead, they are sent from one free giveaway venue to another. They’re overstuffed with free food, given free clothing, furnished with free camping gear, given free medical care, supported by taxpayers with food stamps and disability benefits, etc. Too many naive passersby hand cash to obviously drunken panhandlers. And don’t forget the lucky 31 street drunks/dope fiends with mental health issues — they’ll soon be housed in a $6 million plus Housing First facility at 1175 Lee Hill, and allowed to continue drinking/drugging themselves to death in the relative comfort of their own apartments. It’s a travesty of compassion. If financial and other resources were used more wisely, beginning with homeless families in Housing First, everyone would benefit. To be blunt: any one of the drunks I’ve known who died on the streets would have done the same in an expensive new apartment, and not been any happier for it.

I’m glad to see that Boulder PD is cracking down on the homeless rat packs, writing many more tickets for illegal camping and other petty offenses typically committed by them. The bums have only themselves to blame for any backlash from the public, who is weary of gutter trash and rightly so. You don’t have to be a knucklehead simply because you’re homeless, and my experience is proof of that.

Back to the point of this post in closing: if it isn’t possible to move Bridge House far away from downtown, then it should be shut down as a Public Nuisance. I haven’t been there since about March of 2009, and can’t think of a single good reason I need to return.

Here’s hoping that the response by government agencies (city, county, state, and federal) and private nonprofits to Hurricane Sandy will be as timely and efficient as humanly possible. And we know, of course, that people across America will help in many different ways to relieve the suffering of all those in harm’s way.

This blog will be suspending any further political posts until after Election Day.

Copied from a friend’s Facebook page: “Police officers watching as anothers refers to a dead street person as a bumcycle. This should outrrage the entire community. I don’t want a cop on thhe force like that provoking people without. Is this a free country. Hell no. I am ashamed of this behavior. It used to be blacks, then gays, now homeless. What’s next people with disabilities. I am piissed now. If any of yyou work with the street folks and do absolutely nothing. You need a new job. Act like you care and sit by and let this happen. If you have a camera start recording these things” I can find no confirmation from the newspaper or police blotter that a deceased homeless person was found near Old Chicago in downtown Boulder last Saturday night around 10PM, which is the rumor going around.

Apparently, this involves a homeless man who has been deceased since the end of April, along with a lot of other rather vague complaints about a particular Boulder PD officer. WTF? I’ve tried to steer folks in the right direction for making an effective complaint through the proper channels, but it seems that most simply want to vent. The following is copied from a friend’s Facebook page (initials rather than names here, except for me):

T.H.— “C.: The next thing they will do is try to trivialize it. Keep the focus. It’s not what he said, it’s that it is a reflection of how Boulder police view the people without homes. It’s also a reflection of how they are allowed to view the people without homes and dehumanize them by city officials. Focusing on what a single officer said allows them to throw all of the things that Boulder does as a matter of policy and everything people in Boulder do as a matter of lack of conscience under the rug by issuing a ‘stern statement’ to a single officer. This is about values and how the statement the officer made reflects those values–not the statement itself. Boulder bureaucrats are masters at this. Don’t let them get away with it.”

Max Weller — “Huh, T.? I’ve never experienced any systematic bad behavior from Boulder PD officers. I’ve had a couple of problems, which I dealt with through channels provided — without all of the drama which only makes one look foolish, and is easy for those in authority to ignore. Almost all city police officers, county deputies, and state troopers have been courteous and concerned about my welfare over the course of my 4 1/2 years and counting here in Boulder, CO. BTW, I’ve never been ticketed for anything, because I don’t get caught up in all of the stupid behavior that so many want to apoloogize for and enable.”

T.H. — “You are right, Max. Boulder cops don’t do anything wrong to the homeless and people of color. Never mind.”

Max Weller — “Sarcasm is one more example of drama which only makes one look foolish. Like I said, I’ve dealt with problems through the system, and even blogged about them so the public would know. To me, it’s over and done with now and I was satisfied with the outcome.”

Max Weller — “BTW, did this homeless man have a name?”

C.M. — “the dead one yes Q.”

Max Weller — “That was at the end of April, 6 months ago, according to the Daily Camera and the Denver Post. 38-year-old Q.J.C.? That’s the guy referred to as a ‘bumsicle’ by some moron on the police force? Excuse me, but this doesn’t make any sense at all.”

C.M. — “Nope. He was trying to provoke. I have seen this several times. People are getting their gear thrown away gone through. Your friend can’t watch it. Noow library not allowing big packs limiting time inside. I know you are set but not everyone is as lucky”

Max Weller — “Believe me, as one who has fought bureaucracy and even served on a city council briefly in my little hometown back in Missouri (and therefore knows the ropes), the key to any citizen complaint is being both prompt and specific with testimony from someone who has been wronged. Not friends coming forward after 6 months, not some grandstanding lawyer or the ACLU (who have done more to get the city’s crackdown against the homeless going than anyone else), and not some generalized us-against-them speechifying.”

I allowed myself to be duped in this case, because I wanted to believe that local homeless people and those who call themselves advocates had learned something from the smackdowns the City of Boulder has dished out recently. Apparently, they haven’t; it’s the same old and ineffective drama as before.

On Facebook this morning, I saw a post from one of my friends who was very upset that a Boulder PD officer, who was identified by name, had apparently referred to some unidentified homeless person as a bumsicle. This is a Boulder, CO problem, for sure; anyone wanting to see really tough cops should go to Kansas City, MO. I understand that KCPD still has a special room in the city jail for “interrogation” of suspects who piss them off for a variety of reasons. In Boulder, the worst we have is a smart remark. Anybody who expects to be able to survive on the streets here needs to develop a much thicker skin, among other coping skills.

This morning at Boulder Shelter for the Homeless shortly after 5AM when I arrived, early as is my habit, three police vehicles responded there. It turned out that there was a drunken Denver POS yelling and disturbing others who were still trying to sleep (no doubt, he’d smuggled in a bottle of cheap booze during intake yesterday evening), and the silly old fart refused to leave the premises when directed to do so by staff. Since BSH staff cannot put their hands on anyone who is trespassing, which is what he was doing by refusing to leave, it was necessary to call Boulder PD. As the three officers calmly escorted the filthy, stinkingderelict out the door where I was standing, he told them to kiss his a**. I laughed and the officers grinned. The pickled idjit then staggered over to a SKIP bus, but the driver refused to let him board. Meanwhile, the police left without making either an arrest or issuing a ticket. Soused fool waited around a while for the next SKIP, but that driver also refused to let him board the bus. The last I saw of the wet brain moron he was walking around the corner of the shelter and headed south along Broadway. Good riddance to bad rubbish is how I feel about it. Apparently, he’s barred from BSH for the next thirty days. I’m sure they’ll welcome him back to “Jesus Saves” in Denver, however.

Indeed, “bumsicle” is pretty mild as far as pejorative expressions go . . . As for lodging a formal complaint against any Boulder PD officer, one should contact Sgt. Kerry Yamaguchi of the Professional Standards Unit at (303) 441-3312.

One thing I’ve learned over the years of living as the poorest person in Boulder, CO: government agencies and private nonprofits do NOT lift anyone up out of poverty. If this were the case, we wouldn’t be in worse shape now than at any time since LBJ’s so-called War on Poverty began almost 50 years ago. All that is being done now by the poverty industry (and homeless shelter/services is a big part of it) is to create permanent dependents who become more helpless and needy the longer they’re in the clutches of these bureaucrats (public and private), who are making a comfortable living off of the ongoing misery of poor and homeless people. The executive director of Boulder Housing Partners, Betsey Martens, has a guest opinion piece published in today’s local newspaper in which she opines, “We have a choice in this election to turn the tide.” Indeed we do — elect Mitt Romney and get our economy back to vigorous growth, which will provide the means necessary to strengthen the safety net for the most vulnerable among us. It’s Romney who speaks to the issue of poverty frequently, and the incumbent president who avoids it like the plague. Although she didn’t come right out and say so, despite the attached disclaimer that she was writing as a private citizen and not as a representative of Boulder Housing Partners, it’s abundantly clear that she endorses the candidacy of the incumbent. The capacity of Obama supporters for self-delusion is simply astounding! Four more years, after eight years already of this Bush/Obama Great Recession, is supposed to help the poor in America? What a load of this —

I live outdoors year-round and sleep under a tarp, but at least I’m FREE.

The Kansas State Widcats scored another impressive win yesterday. Currently #3 in the BCS poll, it must be noted that #2 Florida lost to Georgia. If K-State wins their last four games, something they can certainly accomplish unless there’s a major injury to QB Collin Klein, we can hope that they’ll be in the BCS championship game, probably against current #1 Alabama. Barring a case of highway robbery in favor of an undefeated Oregon or undefeated Notre Dame, that is; the 4-team playoff format will begin in 2014.

The public access computers here at Norlin Library on the CU campus (there are only nine available without a student ID needed to log in) seem to have had the “Adobe Flash Player” uninstalled, so it’s impossible to play video games or watch YouTube clips, and presumably a lot of other online stuff popular with transients from Denver and elsewhere. This is very clever; I haven’t seen the Campsite Crapper here lately playing his childish video games for hours on end. If I want to play chess or post a YouTube clip to my Facebook page or my blog, I’ll go to the George Reynolds Branch of Boulder Public Library and do so.

Remember Occupy Boulder, the bunch of bums from Denver who briefly camped in front of the Municipal Building in Boulder, CO many moons ago — and dumped buckets of human waste into nearby Boulder Creek? Well, they apparently have lawless kindred spirits among the Obama supporters who did this:

Besides the harmless prank of stealing yard signs, the Obamabots vandalized the man’s two vehicles to the tune of $6,000. Reportedly, the miscreants keyed an “R” symbol like the one used by Mitt Romney’s campaign into the fender of one car. What morons! It wouldn’t surprise me a bit to discover that the vandals are wealthy white adults, not self-centered teenagers.

For obvious reasons, I choose not to identify the man either by name or by location in Boulder County.

Reporters and pundits can be forgiven, I suppose, for being ignorant about details like these — and for failing to take President Obama to task for his own appalling ignorance.

Maybe, though, it’s not a question of what Obama knows (or doesn’t know) about the military today. Maybe it’s more what the military today knows about Obama, as shown in this poll of personnel on active duty and in the reserves.

Yes sir, even among the troops it can be said, “It’s the economy, stupid!”